


A Different Shade of Blue

by Bemused_Writer



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27446917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bemused_Writer/pseuds/Bemused_Writer
Summary: Shepard had been jaded for years ever since her life has been filled with nothing but death, but things were about to change. She was turning in a bounty for a routine smuggling operation to one of the local Hutts when chaos erupted as a rogue Jedi broke the routine, seeking justice.The two will have no choice but to work together if either one of them is to survive.
Relationships: Female Shepard/Liara T'Soni, Past Thane Krios/Female Shepard, Shepard/Liara T'Soni
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	A Different Shade of Blue

**Author's Note:**

> Happy N7 Day!
> 
> So, this is more of a _Mass Effect/Star Wars_ universe blend rather than a straightforward _Star Wars_ AU. What that means is that there will be elements from both series mixed together. It also means that I'm not going to worry _too_ much if every bit of lore matches up perfectly for either series, so keep that in mind. Having said that, this is set around the _Knights of the Old Republic_ era more so than the movies.

Shepard let out a sigh as she disembarked from her ship. It was a simple, old-fashioned model that wasn’t going to win any contests, but it got the job done and that was all she could ask for. She winced at how bright the sun was and raised a hand to shield her eyes; that was Tatooine for you, always painfully sunny, as if it didn’t realize it was one of the most corrupt planets in the sector.

Hopefully she wouldn’t have to be here long. She’d gotten the assigned bounty and was only stopping to collect from Morott the Hutt. It was a nerve wracking ordeal and hardly her preferred clientele, but she needed the money. Things had been difficult ever since Thane died.

She winced at his memory. Even now it hurt and the truth was that things had been difficult even _with_ Thane around, but at least she’d had an ever-present confidante. One that loved her and spoke of the ocean in the most poetic of ways.

But she didn’t have time for longing, never did in fact, and she needed to deliver.

Morott’s den was dimly lit and stuffed full of questionable sorts who wore masks and bore guns. The air was thick with smoke and she knew in some of the more remote rooms several people were imbibing all manner of drugs.

She fit right in. There were some dancing girls in a corner that were being leered at by several men of various alien backgrounds. A few of the dancers were asari, elegant in their movement and highly sought after, but most were Twi’leks as was the norm. She had mixed feelings on this; they were essentially slaves. No, they _were_ slaves, and if Shepard were a good person she’d bust them out, put an end to the whole operation, and kill the Hutt. There was a time when she’d gone out of her way to deliver such justice and it had felt so good. But then there’d been that one particular battle and everyone she knew had lost their drive for anything but survival. She was a shadow of her former self. Thane would be so disappointed if he saw her now, but thoughts of Thane…

They were too painful.

She finally reached the Hutt’s main room. He lounged about, peering at all that was before him like a curious cat despite his distinctly slug-like appearance. It was disgusting.

“I’m here,” she announced as she tossed the package across the floor. “I think you’ll find everything is in order.”

The Hutt let out a laugh and spoke in his rumbling language.

“Of course it’s what you asked for. Inspect it if you must.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw a cloaked figure maneuver their way through the crowd, their movements smooth and practiced. Shepard frowned slightly at that. They were likely a bounty hunter, but there was something oddly familiar about the way they slunk through the crowd. The Hutt didn’t seem overly concerned--or perhaps he simply didn’t notice--and she decided she didn’t really care if there was an assassin sent to take him out. Good riddance.

His servant finished sifting through the bag and gave a sharp nod. _“It’s all here,”_ he announced. He was another Twi’lek and he wore a permanent scowl on his face, directed at her whenever he had half a chance. Whatever.

Just as he was about to reach for the item and remove it, the figure moved forward to stand next to Shepard. It was hard to tell in the lighting, but Shepard was convinced that underneath the hood she could see a glimpse of blue.

 _An asari?_ she wondered uneasily. Where was this going? Was this asari about to sell _herself_ into slavery? It wasn’t unheard of; lots of things could lead to it being the only option, but Shepard would really prefer not to be around to see it happen. She was jaded, but there were some things even she had a hard time coping with, and the loss of freedom right before her eyes was, apparently, one of those things.

 _“What do you want?”_ the Hutt demanded sounding distinctly annoyed.

“You’ve been accused of mistreating your people, Morott,” the asari announced. She had an oddly serene, melodious voice, as if she were entirely unconcerned with the events that would transpire after her declaration. Shepard’s hand unconsciously reached for her gun. This was going to go badly, no doubt about it.

_“Ha! As if most Hutts are beacons of propriety. Why are you actually here?”_

The asari frowned; Shepard could just make it out underneath her hood. So, she wasn’t as cool and collected as she pretended. Somehow, that was a relief; it meant she wasn’t a complete fool. There were far too many of those out there.

“Very well,” she continued. “The truth is you’ve been sold out. Laws are lenient out here, but you are supposed to maintain the illusion of ‘propriety’ as you say. You have not. Ten dancing girls have been found dead within the month alone. You see the problem?”

Shepard didn’t really. Oh, on a moral level she did, but it really wasn’t that different from what usually happened on Tatooine. It was a lousy planet through and through. Still, she was intrigued. Someone was trying to reign the Hutts in? Who would be stupid enough to do that?

 _You would have been, back in the day,_ she thought uneasily. Oh, God, now she was talking about ye olden days as if she were an ancient. She was only 38.

_“And under whose authority do you make these accusations? Or are you just a lone vigilante?”_

She threw back her hood and suddenly there was a lightsaber in her hand, shining bright blue in the dim lighting. Shepard’s eyes widened. Oh, crap. The Jedi Council was involved with this? A J _edi_ was being sent to Tatooine?

 _But she’s by herself,_ she thought wildly. _This is madness, even for a Jedi!_

“Under the Jedi Council’s,” she announced, and there wasn’t any pride in the statement--of course there wasn’t, she was a Jedi--but there was confidence. Not many people wanted to go up against a Jedi. They were so shrouded in myth and superstition, no one was entirely sure what to expect, but what they _did_ know was they were powerful beyond any mortal ken. As such it wasn’t surprising to see the mix of bounty hunters and other low lifers back away slowly even as they clutched at their guns. They were wary, but they were also curious. The Hutt had a lot to lose from this: he could look like a fool for going against her or he could look weak for giving in too easily.

The Hutt let out a grunt of shock; no doubt this was entirely unexpected. He likely hadn’t had to deal with any backtalking for decades. _“The Jedi have never cared before!”_

“Well, they do now,” she murmured. “Are you going to stand against me or are you going to answer for your crimes?”

_“What, exactly, is the difference between those two options?”_

“The difference is one ends with you dead and the other in a court trial.”

Okay, _that_ seemed a little iffy for a Jedi, but Shepard hadn’t seen one in… ages. Maybe they’d become a little more aggressive. Her heart twinged at that ever-so-briefly before she turned her thoughts to more practical matters.

Standing right next to this woman was starting to seem like a phenomenally bad idea for continued living and the likelihood of her being paid was going down by the second. That, more than anything else, stirred her to action.

“Look, this is all well and good,” Shepard began, “but I was in the middle of a business dealing before you interrupted. Can I at least finish that before you drag him away?”

The asari paused to give her a withering look. Yeah, she probably deserved that, but getting that package hadn’t been easy! She’d been shot at _a lot._

“Considering what you’ve brought to this Hutt, I’m not sure you should be permitted to leave without judgement either,” she said pointedly. “Stay out of this.”

“It’s just some low class, er, bombs. Come on…”

“And what do you think those bombs will be used for?” she demanded before turning sharply away, visibly refocusing on her mission. “Well, Hutt?”

He laughed, high-pitched and manic. _“Jedi or not, you’re outnumbered, asari.”_

Immediately, everyone drew their guns and pointed them directly at the asari, which meant, in turn, at Shepard herself. _Great,_ Shepard thought as she debated drawing her gun in turn or booking it. _Just what I needed today._

“So that’s how it’s going to be,” she said lowly. “Understand you have brought this on yourself.”

“Is antagonizing him further really a good ide- Woah!” Shepard barely ducked in time as everyone started shooting in unison. “Damn it, _stop shooting!_ ” she cried, reaching for her own gun. Unsurprisingly, no one listened. Fine, she definitely wasn’t getting paid anyway, and these people were going to murder her in their haste to take out the asari.

And the asari… Shepard blinked in amazement. She was dodging with incredible skill, her lightsaber reflecting their blasts right back at her attackers. Several yowled in pain as they were struck by their own gunfire. For a moment, Shepard could do nothing but stare despite the danger. The asari Force Jumped out of the ring and flung her lightsaber into the fray, destroying several guns as it eventually swung back into her waiting hand.

It was enchanting, righteous, and everything Shepard’s life hadn’t been in years, not since before she’d met Thane. But the Hutt had been right about one thing: she was outnumbered, and eventually she was struck in the shoulder. She didn’t cry out, but there was no way that didn’t sting.

Everything slowed down as she spun about, swinging her Jedi with one hand. Shepard saw someone behind her, gun in hand. She hadn’t noticed yet. Her reflexes were slower now. This man would kill her.

Shepard hadn’t stepped in to help someone else in a long, long time, but seeing a Jedi again, seeing someone who still had the capacity to _care._ It was moving. Later she could say that was why she’d done it. But in the moment, all she knew was that if she didn’t step in, no one else would, and the whole day would be even more pointless than it had been up to this point.

She readied her blaster, took aim, and fired. The shot went right through his head, melting his helmet and no doubt the skin underneath. The asari turned toward her, shocked. Shepard shrugged wryly, then rushed over.

“Guess I just can’t let it go,” she cried as she stood back-to-back with her, blasting all who came near. “You owe me a lot of money!”

“Is that all you care about?” she demanded as she sliced a man’s arm off.

 _No._ “Well, yeah.”

She frowned in consternation as she Force Pushed a few bounty hunters out of the way. “I can’t say I think much of that. However…” She leapt over them and began dashing down the long, dark hall, shoving a few passersby out of the way. Shepard did her best to keep up as she blasted those closest on their tail. 

“Some help is appreciated,” she finished at last as she reached a closed gate, the only exit out of the base. It was large, ornate, and had a glowing red sign in the middle.

“Let me guess, it’s locked?” Shepard called, blasting furiously behind her.

“Unfortunately.”

“Think you can hold this bunch off while I hack it?” Shepard was doubtful on that fact; she was holding her injured arm close to her body and while she was skilled that would hinder anyone.

The asari smirked--smirked!--and gave a nod. “I should be able to manage that, yes. Don’t take too long with the door.”

“As if,” she muttered. She brought out her omni-tool and got to work. It was a complicated lock--the Hutt was wealthy after all--but hardly impossible to crack. Scanning and matching code took a bit of time and she could tell the asari was becoming winded. That injury probably hurt pretty badly.

“Well?” she eventually demanded.

“Got it,” Shepard replied with a smirk of her own just as the door wizzed open to the bright, midafternoon day. Like the rest of Tatooine, it was a sandy area, though the sand was more white than yellow here and it was a thin sheet of it as they were on a platform. It gleamed brightly in the sun and there would be no sneaking about. More troublesome yet, there was a swarm of bounty hunters in the area and they were between her and her ship.

“All right, we’re going to have to somehow make our way from here to there,” Shepard called, blasting a few shots behind her. “Any ideas?”

“I’m not leaving until I take out that Hutt!”

“Uh, yes you are,” Shepard said in disbelief. “We’re going to die if we hang around here. Come on!”

“No! I will not allow that monster to continue murdering those girls!” She ducked as one bounty hunter came a little too close for comfort. His head was swiftly removed from his shoulders.

Shepard hesitated, considered the ramifications of what she was about to do, and then did it anyway. “Sorry, vengeance isn’t part of the Jedi Code and we need to get out of here.” She grabbed her about her wounded shoulder and yanked her out the door. The asari gave a pained gasp and a glower, but ultimately followed from there. Good.

The dash across the sandy platform was miserable with fire coming at them from every angle. If Shepard hadn’t been so unfortunately familiar with the place and if the asari hadn’t been a Jedi they would have died on the spot. Instead, the asari whipped up a temporary shield about them--ah, biotics as well then--so they could avoid the worst of the blasts and Shepard led them into a complicated routine of duck-and-cover as they made their way.

“This is insane,” Shepard gasped as they ducked behind another metal crate. “They _really_ don’t like you.”

“I suspect they aren’t your biggest fans anymore either,” she replied calmly as she threw her lightsaber out in an arc.

“Huh, guess not,” Shepard replied as a blast came dangerously close to her face. Shield or not, that would have stung. “Come on, just one last hurrah and we’ll be there.”

“I hope your ship can handle sustained gunfire.” The saber returned to her, buzzing as it flew past.

Shepard rolled her eyes. “Considering my line of work, it would be insane for it not to.”

“Hm.” She was smiling, though; not nearly as put off as she pretended. What an odd Jedi. “Well, let’s go.”

It was the most dangerous stretch yet. Someone had finally thought to bring out the heavy artillery and the ground was soon awash with sand flying about as large blasts sunk into the ground far too close for comfort. Ah, Shepard wasn’t going to get to return to Tatooine, was she? This asari had definitely ruined those prospects.

She couldn’t even find it in herself to feel bad about it. 

After what felt like an age they finally reached the ship. Shepard practically shoved her inside as she began hitting the code that would get the boarding ramp to close. Then she dashed to the cockpit. It was a relatively small ship, only really designed for a single person’s use long term, but it had been built with the idea someone could live there if need be, so there was a small main room, a bedroom to the side, and a kitchen. None of that interested her at the moment.

“All right, let’s get out of here,” Shepard muttered to herself as she flipped several switches. The lights powered on and the shields were up. Thank goodness.

She felt the asari stand behind her, one hand gripping the headrest. She didn’t say anything, however, so Shepard let her stay.

They shot into space and within moments Tatooine was far below them as they breached the exosphere. She heaved a sigh; that had been _far_ too close for comfort. 

For a long moment, neither of them said anything as Shepard got her bearings. When she finally felt capable of facing the asari, she spun the chair around, prepared to lecture her soundly, and immediately felt foolish. She was clutching at her shoulder, a pained expression visible on her face.

“Sorry,” Shepard muttered awkwardly. “Come on, let’s get that fixed up for you.”

“Just show me where your medkit is and I can do it myself,” she muttered, a touch irritably.

“You plan on just slapping a ton of medi-gel on that and calling it good, don’t you?” Shepard teased as she made her way to the hall and opened a hatch therein. “Not a great idea. Come on, least I can do is help you with this.”

“I think you’ve already gone above and beyond what was expected of you,” she replied with a sigh as she moved next to her, shrugging her sleeve off. Since she was wearing a Jedi’s robes, it wasn’t that difficult.

“Can’t tell if that was a compliment or not,” Shepard laughed as she began cleaning the wound before dabbing a bit of the gel on it.

The asari looked up at her seriously. “That’s because I’m not sure myself. Why did you help me?”

A very good question and not one Shepard had a good answer to. She shrugged before moving to wrap the wound with gauze. “I don’t know. Wasn’t a fair battle. Never been a fan of those.”

“I see,” she murmured, watching closely as Shepard finished tying the bandage.

“There you go, should be fine soon enough.”

“Thank you.” She hesitated a moment before extending her hand. “My name is Liara.”

Shepard considered her for a moment before accepting the proffered hand. “Shepard. Not the best circumstances to make new friends, but…”

“I’m glad you were there,” Liara said. “I didn’t think I was at first, but there’s something about you. You’re more honest than you let on and your actions… almost heroic.” Her eyes took her in and Shepard forcibly had to resist the urge to flinch as those clear blue eyes assessed every bit of her. “And you seem familiar. Have we met before?” she asked, her head tilting quizzically. 

“Unlikely,” Shepard replied brusquely, removing her hand. She felt immediately cold as she did so. “And honest? Heroic? I don’t know about that.” No sane person would see the current her in any light outside of “troubled.” “Anyway, where do you want me to drop you off?” she finished, determined to get this over with.

Liara gave her a grim look. “I’m not leaving this planet. I’m grateful for your help, but I still have a mission to accomplish.”

Oh, come on. “Okay… I really have a hard time believing the Jedi Council sent you all the way out here for this. What’s actually going on?” As she recalled, they’d always been maddeningly nonviolent. This asari was going off on her own and doing what she wanted, no doubt about it.

“Does it matter either way?” she asked pointedly. “You’ve done your part. Once I heal, I would like to return to the planet.”

“No,” Shepard said firmly. Liara’s hand tightened into a fist. “Not yet at least,” she corrected herself. She’d really rather not have an angry Jedi coming at her. “You need a better plan than just… storming the gates. You’re a Jedi, but you’re not immortal, and he’ll be expecting you now. You have to think about that.”

She turned away, frustrated. “Perhaps you are correct, but more girls will die in the meantime.”

That again. This was a woman on a mission, clearly, and Shepard could respect that, but why? 

“What do you mean?” she finally asked, reluctantly intrigued. “People die on Tatooine all the time of all races and creeds. Why did this case bring you out specifically?”

“That isn’t something you need to know.”

“Sure it is,” Shepard said with a growing grin. Oh, she was going to regret this, but, well, she could feel that old thrill, a spark of life that she hadn’t felt in such a terribly long time that she could hardly stop herself even if she’d wanted to. “If you expect me to help out at least.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of the series is a reference, of course, to the asari, but also the way Jedi are usually portrayed with the color blue. I've been thinking about this crossover idea for a while; it's good to get the beginning out there!


End file.
